Maths teacher who lied to pupils about being shot in war zone banned from the classroom
It was decided to remove the mathematics teacher from the classroom who lied to his students by saying that he was shot and seriously injured in a war zone.
Alexandra Slay, who worked at Epsom and Ewell High School in Surrey from December 2016 until November 2023 when she resigned, told students she was in the Australian army and once texted a student pretending to be another soldier, claiming he was seriously injured.
After he resigned, he was held at a disciplinary hearing over concerns about his communication with students and was subsequently referred to the Teaching Regulation Agency, which held a professional conduct panel.
It was learned that he sent thousands of e-mails to students and gave his phone number between 2020-2023.
In one email he wrote: “I’m actually going to do this – although it’s a little different. I’ll give you my numbers – you can get them from Retriever. Since I’m tired of sending emails…”
Ms. Slay also sent handwritten letters to students; The content of the panel was found to be highly inappropriate and unprofessional.
The students were instructed not to open the letters until a certain time and were also encouraged to keep them a secret, as he told them to keep “pinky promises” and trust him with personal matters.
An email sent to a student in July 2022 read: “You told me to be honest/transparent with you about my feelings (especially when it seems like I’m sinking). I can’t put my thoughts into an email, so I’m spending some time on the beach writing.
“I’m trying to be honest so I don’t hurt you by pushing you away unintentionally (although [sic] part of me is trying to find excuses for this). For your eyes only.”
Ms. Slay made up a story to tell the students that he had served in the military, made frequent trips to war zones, received training, and been involved in combat.
A text message sent to a student read: “Hey, just letting you know I arrived and made it to base.”
Messages sent from a phone number to a student, purporting to be from “Lieutenant D Blackburn,” showed that he had suffered serious injuries.
Those messages said:
- “At the advice of my chief and Captain Slay’s support plan, I am providing an update on Captain Slay’s condition… Earlier in the day, Captain Slay and several others were seriously injured. Captain Slay was shot twice in the abdomen and lost a significant amount of blood… Captain Slay was taken into surgery to remove two bullets from his abdomen.”
- “Captain Slay is awake and his vitals and temperature are stable… Since Captain Slay is awake, I will return his belongings to him, including his phone.”
- “Captain Slay left me this message to pass on to you. ‘If things get worse. Please be proud and know I’m trying my best.'”
- “Captain Slay… had a heart attack due to the shock to his body. However, now they have Captain Slay back, but his pulse is very weak.”
- “Captain Slay’s vitals plateaued at 7:30 this morning, but doctors were able to revive him.”
- “I know I shouldn’t say this and that I’ll probably get scolded for it. But Captain Slay wants to stay and finish the operation. But I’m asking if it’s possible, can you please talk him out of it?”
When asked about the messages during the disciplinary hearing, Ms Slay said they were “all made up”. He said he made up the stories so he could feel like he belonged.
The board concluded that Ms. Slay’s provision of personal contact information to students was a serious breach of boundaries. In doing so, Ms. Slay was able to develop an inappropriate relationship with students, according to the investigation.
“The content of these messages went beyond the teacher-student relationship, allowing him to communicate with these students outside of school hours,” the panel said.
Another text message read: “What does intimacy look or feel like to you? (Pay attention to this)…”.
As part of this exchange, Ms. Slay also sent a message detailing her views on intimacy: “For me, intimacy goes beyond physical impact (which is important, of course), but to me, emotional intimacy builds a relationship that grows stronger.”
The Board found that Ms. Slay’s actions constituted conduct that could bring the profession into disrepute. He was banned from teaching indefinitely.
He/she can apply to have the banning order lifted, but not until April 21, 2028.
